


ABISS

by Fuffywumple



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: All Of The Spice, F/F, Lab Rat AU, Out of Character, Spicy Characters, Strong Language, amberpricefield, maybe a little Amberpricefield in there, well kinda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-02-12 01:24:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12948303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuffywumple/pseuds/Fuffywumple
Summary: Max Caulfield has been stuck in the Arcadia Bay Institute for Selective Supernaturals for years, her soul slowly breaking down from the crushing environment.But when she crosses paths with Rachel Amber, and her blue haired friend Chloe, everything in her life changes. And the three attempt the impossible: Trying to break Max free





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Subject 219: Maxine Caulfield](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12091227) by [StefiDelly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StefiDelly/pseuds/StefiDelly). 



> So, this is kind of a draft? I had this idea, as inspiration from another LiS Lab Rat AU by StefiDelly, its an amazing fic. You don't have to read it for this story to make sense, but I severely recommend that you read it, it's amazing. But I already have 2 works on the way at the moment. So if this is an idea that people want, I may return to it after I get one of my two current projects finished up. So let me know if this is something you want to read in the future, and I may revisit it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! I know it's a little short, but it's just a prologue, if I continue, things will get a little thicker.

Four blank walls really got tiring to look at after several years.

Not even that, they're cinder walls. The same boring pattern, why didn't they make it fun and add polka dots or something weird like that? Maybe they insisted on torturing us even further by staring at blank walls, in blank cells, while we ate blank food. That was probably it.

These cuffs are driving me crazy. I try to get out of them, yanking once, twice. But no dice, the small glowing red ring that wrapped around the black metal of the cuffs glowed with my efforts, and wouldn't allow admission. I let out a small grunt and laid back on the rock hard mattress that was provided for me.

I stared at the small branding that was put on the side of the material. _Property of The Arcadia Bay Institute For Selective Supernaturals_ , and grunted, nipping at the brand with my teeth. Another thing that was property of the Institute? Me.

And property was the right word. I, and all the other Supernaturals are just property, non living materials for the 'Scientists' to throw around like rag dolls. The small melted patch of my skin, just above my collar bone, shaped in the symbol of the Institute logo proved that.

I was branded the day I got here, 8 years ago. I can still feel how the hot iron scalded me, morphed my skin to show the shameful brand, I was property, I was not worth the status of 'Human' any longer. At only 10 years old, I became this Institute's property, all because I was reckless on how I used my powers, and got myself caught.

Now I carry the four letters, ABISS (Get it, like Abyss, but spelled differently? Oh you asshole, power hungry scientists, so clever.) On my skin, and it makes me want to throw up each day I look at it. The name is to represent the deep abyss between normal humans, and us, the Supernaturals they test on. But of course, the public doesn't know that, they just think its a cool name.

If only I hadn't been caught, then I wouldn't be here right now, I would have these stupid letters permanently etched into my skin.

The story of my capture is a long one, and I don't want to bore myself with the details for the four hundred and fiftieth time. But what other option do I have? It's not like I have a TV in here, I haven't seen one of those in a long time. But now is not a time to dwell in the past, it's a time to get the hell out of these cuffs.

But one tiny little problem. I can't do that. They drain me of my power. With these cuffs on, I'm not Maxine Caulfield, Time Warrior. I'm just Maxine Caulfield. I gave a couple more useless tugs on the jet black handcuffs that restricted me, the least they could do was release a little pressure, these things hurt like fuck. I've so rarely taken them off, I'm surprised that they haven't been melted into my skin yet. 

But it isn't about me, and how comfortable I am, is it? It's about the facility, and how they make money by putting people through hell. What a profession to have. People are so greedy these days, anything that will get them money, they will be more than happy to do, even if it means turning on your fellow humans.

Oh, but I'm not a human, am I? I'm some  _thing_ , an experiment with a human face, but not a human soul. For fucks sake, we don't even have names here, just numbers. But that's fine, I remember my own name, and I'm quick to remind others, that my name is not a number.

I proudly look at the large mark on the wall, from when I carved my name into the cinder with a plastic fork they gave me for lunch. Yeah they took away meals for a day, but it was worth it, now I'm much more than a number, now I've got a name that everyone can see. The guards still haven't taken it down, because they can't, or they're too lazy, I don't know. But it's a victory for me, nonetheless.

The smallest glow of the hallway lamps comes in through the small window of my cell door, creating a rectangle of faint white light on the floor beside my mattress. I'm supposed to be asleep, as it's lights out time, but I never actually sleep when they want me to, who can sleep in this place, anyway? It's creepy and full of hate, I really feel bad for the guards who work the night shift around this place, their lives really must suck.

But they should be praising that night shift badge, because that's better than living in one of these cells, with heavy handcuffs that you  _can't take off._  I bite at the chain that separates my hands, worrying at the metal, despite knowing that it's useless, I'm stuck here. I always will be.

Today will be the same as tomorrow, tomorrow will be the same as the next day, my whole life will be rinse and repeat until I die, what a comforting thought.

I roll my wrist slowly, well, as much as I can, with the cuff restriction and all. Splaying my fingers out, I mimic the movement I would always make, every time I would play with time, every time I would hop into a new reality, and warp the world. As I watched my fingers wiggle in front of me, I remembered how much of the world I've wrecked, how many other realities I've seen.

I am not living the same reality as I was when I was 9, or 10, or even when I was in my mother's womb. Sure, I may have reversed changes in reality that I had made, but that doesn't mean that I'm back in my original timeline, I'm just in a copy of the timeline I was born in, a false image.

A wave of frustration hits me hard, not unlike most nights, and I react without thinking. Letting out an angry grunt as I slammed down the cuffs on my wrist onto the metal bed frame below me. A loud crashing sound emits from the two materials colliding, but that's all that changes, I groan loudly.

These shackles burn. My swell of anger slowly dying out. I stare at the cold metal, with the red glowing ring in the middle, the source of my power draining. A strange feeling that felt like my own blood was being taken from my body, it was a feeling I was painfully used to, unfortunately. Days since I got these shackles take off: 48. I honestly felt like I was in a prison.

Well, at least this place wasn't exactly like prison. I know what day it was all the time, and i get hourly bathroom breaks. But other than that? Yeah, it's like a prison. I continue to tug on the restraints that bind my wrists together. I know it's useless, but it's been a habit for so long, and who knows, it may wear them down...

It happened once, not to me, but someone on my floor busted from his restraints. He had super strength, I thin? He must have, if he was able to break free from these things. I remember hearing him bust out, and watching from my dusty window pane as the guards dragged him away from his cell. I never saw him again.

That night we all got our cuffs reinforced. But mine are... a special sort. See, I'm the only one in this facility with the ability to manipulate time. How do I  know that? Well I listened in on the guards when they were bickering about my cuffs, saying I was the only 'Chronogenic' in the facility. 

As the night goes on, I start to grow bored. That's usually the only reason why I sleep around here, but the cuffs made it a tad uncomfortable. The skin was always irritated underneath smooth metal, and sometimes it peeled. 48 days is the longest I've gone without having the cuffs taken off, usually I do more frequent lab tests, but for some reason, they haven't had use for me recently.

Maybe soon they will have me in a lab test, and I can take these damn cuffs off, and I'll get some relief. But for now, I lay in my cell, waiting for the scientists to find use of me again, so I can finally go for a walk, and stretch my legs. No one outside these walls knows of the abuse that goes on in here, but if they did, would they care?

I mean, I and the other Supernaturals in this place are no different than anyone else. I mean, we are human too. Breathe the same air, speak the same words, feel the same pain (Well, most of us.) So why treat us any different?

It's because we  _are_ different. All humans have a natural instinct to discard anything different than what they are, as if it was somehow poisonous or dangerous. Because of that human instinct, I am where I am, stuck in a cell, being tested on like a lab rat.

I'm too bored and thirsty to be arguing with myself about this, it's best to get some sleep before I continue on with this, so I don't hurt myself in pure confusion. Tomorrow is a new day, and tomorrow, I may have a testing day, so I can finally be free of these damn cuffs.

One step at a time, Caulfield.

 

 


	2. Escape Artist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH! It's time! Okay, so I have a few announcements to make in this section before you read on, it's about the story. So buckle in.  
> 1\. This story will MAJORITY be in Max's perspective. There will be a few chapters every once in a while about someone else, just to build a little story, but otherwise, all Max  
> 2\. Sorry if this chapter sux  
> 3\. Yes, this is a romance between Max and Rachel. I figured it would be a fresh new thing to help my exploration, but don't worry, Chloe is still going to be a main character in this plotline, she isn't going anywhere. If you want, I could go into more detail as to why I made this decision in next chapter's notes.  
> 4\. Still working on an update schedule, give me time  
> 5\. Okay, so I went back and changed a few things of the previous chapter. I made Max get captured when she was 10 (other than 14) so she's been in the Institute for 8 years over 4  
> 6\. Max may not have her in game personality, but that's because being in an Institute for 8 years has really shaped and reshaped her mind. However, that doesn't mean the Max we know and love isn't hiding inside still...  
> 7\. Ummm... Enjoy??

ABISS chapter 1: 

Escape artist

 

\-----------

 

 

Alright, where to start?

By the time I was awoken the next morning, from the lights in the hallway shining through my small peep hole, I knew things were going to be different today. And no, not in that 'protagonist' of a story has that "weird feeling" that something will be amiss.' I mean literally, a guard came to my door, and muttered, "testing at 11:00 sharp." Before moving on to the next cell.

Man, it's been a while since I've read a story.

But that wasn't important in the moment, I could dwell on my past later. It was now that I had to think. It's been so long since I've taken these cuffs off. The chaffing stops after a while, but there is always some sort of mark, or even a scar from where the metal rubs against your skin continuously, without a barrier. So at least today could offer me a time to take them off and let myself breathe for 10 minutes, in the minimum.

I found myself gnawing at the chain that linked my cuffs as my mind wandered. Why wait 48 days for another test of mine? So far, from the chatter I've heard between guards and staff, I was the only kid in this place that could play with time, so it wasn't like they could switch the testing between a few people to give me some relaxation time. Maybe they found all they needed to know, or a good margin, at least. Therefore, they didn't need me as much.

That didn't really line up, though. If they didn't need me, why didn't they just take me into the back and shoot me? I'm not saying that I know they do that, but it seems like a fair guess.

Didn't matter. Once I had my wrists free, maybe my mind would be a little clearer, less distracted by the pain so I could focus on more important things. I don't want to bother with trying to escape, 8 years in here that I could never even try. I guess the only reason why I was getting riled up was because I could finally stretch my legs.

My jaw became sore after chewing on the Bismuth plated cuff chains for an extended amount of time. So I released my jaw lock on them, and cringed in distaste at the taste that was on my tongue. And suddenly, there was the feeling of blood welling in my mouth. Shit, my mouth was burning. Was it the chain? Why was it burning so bad? I spat a clump of blood onto the floor, sighing as I soothed the walls of my mouth with my tongue.

I rolled my wrists, once and twice despite the pain. I wanted to get some feeling back into my hands. The cuffs weren't exactly blocking all circulation to my hands, it was just the angle I was resting my palms at that helped blood not reach the appendage. 

About 10 minutes later, breakfast was served. A tray of Oatmeal and water slid in though a small slip door in my bigger cell door, which was promptly bolted shut. Not going to lie, the meals could have really been worse. The oatmeal actually had some flavour to it, and the water kept me well hydrated, they could feed us worse.

So I quickly ate all the food in the bowl, licking it clean, before slowly taking my time with drinking the water. The faster I drank, the more I had to pee, space it out more. And so, I waited for my time to come, slowly rolling my wrists, and running my fingers along the scarred skin on my chest. I had no idea what time it was, and how long it would take before my testing, but I had to hope it was soon.

I couldn't help my mind and how it started to drift, and I kept thinking back to that fateful day 8 years ago. I wanted to stop myself, but I really couldn't. I could only ignorant for so long, but every night, (or even day) when everything goes quiet, its all I can think about.

The memory was still so fresh in my mind, so many years after it happened. But something like that, you'll never be able to forget.

My parents always loved being social, going to social events. But I never really felt the same, I always liked to be to myself, take pictures with my plastic camera and not really talk to anyone. So that night, when my parents told me that we were going to a friend's place for a dinner party, I was not happy.

But, I was a child, so it wasn't like I had any choice in the matter. I pouted, sure. But I had to go anyway. And because I didn't want to disappoint my parents, I learned to keep the disappointment internal. A skill that I've perfected by spending years in this place.

Anyway, we got all dressed up and whatnot, ready to go to this party that I was so not in for. The only comfort my parents had is that there were going to be other kids my age there. And that just made me more scared. More people to ridicule me. So, when we-

"So, it's this one, right? The Chrononetic?" A feminine voice asked, right outside my door. A deeper and more masculine voice responded, but I wasn't really paying attention to that one, I was focusing on the girl.

I think I knew who that was. That was the only kind and gentle female voice I've heard in this place. Hell, it was the only kind and gentle voice I've heard in here. I didn't really know the girl's name, but the tag that was over her left breast said 'Amber' so I had to assume that meant something.

Scooting to the edge of my mattress, I became eager with the idea of getting out of this cell for the first time in way too long. The sounds came closer, both the man and the girl were right outside of my door by now. I began to tremble in my eagerness.

The door slowly became unlocked, and opened carefully. I almost leaped from my spot, but I had to remind myself not to move, because I don't want another taser. I learned my lesson the hard way there.

Amber and the hefty guard made their way inside, my vision of them was unclear due to lack of proper light, but Amber came into my line of sight quite quickly. She was comforting to look at, her blonde hair and gentle features almost made me completely willing to give up any sort of retaliation that was in my bones. But when the big chunk of muscle appears behind her, that blissful feeling fades.

"Okay, subject. It's your time to shine." The grumpy guard muttered angrily, stomping towards me in a way that was way too intimidating. I shuffled backwards on the bed, knowing I couldn't fully escape him, but maybe I could prolong it to keep my sanity.

However, I still got grabbed, and yanked to my feet by a six foot block of muscle and bone. I let out a small grunt of resistance, but I stood no chance in actually escaping.

"Ah, little pip squeak trying to run away, that it?" This impossibly keep voice rumbled into laughter. I didn't really know this guard, I had never really seen him around. I wondered if he was new, but he couldn't have been, he seemed too comfortable in what he was doing.

I grunted again, this time, adding a full body jolt as it did it. That earned an extra tight arm grip, his hard squeezed down on my arm, and I cried out in the pain. It was harder than the cuffs had ever been, they should replace these cuffs with this guy's hands, it would really help out more.

"Hey, take it easy." Amber piped up from the corner of the room. She stood with her arms crossed, an unnamed look on her face. "We were told to simply transport her, not harass her on the way." She was defending me, but it really didn't seem like she really cared, so I tried my hardest not to care either.

Tough Guy gave her a look, before looking between us repeatedly. A sigh, then a grunt. "Whatever, Amber. You've been here for only a year and you think you own the place, huh?" He spat, yanking me towards he door, and I let out another cry beyond my control. I hated sounding weak, but it really hurt.

"It pays having a father in the DA's office." Amber smirked, suddenly gaining the lead in the conversation. I could tell because the guard got angrier, but didn't say anything in retaliation, just ushered me to the door. 

"Hey, I've got this. I'll do it." Amber insisted. I was absolutely open to the idea. Maybe she wasn't glowing with positivity, or anything. But it was better than this dude, so I wasn't complaining. The guard really looked like he wanted to stand his ground. But Amber had the advantage, so he had no choice but to (roughly) hand me over to the smaller girl, who grabbed hold of my wrists above the cuffs.

As I was being led out of the room, Amber said something back at the guard, something that I didn't hear because I was too focused on being out for the first time in so long. Everything was so bright that I almost wanted to cover my eyes on instinct, or at least close them. I never got nearly this amount of light in my tiny cell.

"Come on, now. We can't be late." Amber ushered calmly, moving us down the bleak and cell filled halls of the institute. I slowly shuffled along to her pace, looking at all the blank faced guards that we passed.

For a second, I barely noticed anything was different. But then I was sure that my cuffs were loosened. I rolled my wrists, with a little more freedom this time, and looked back at Amber. Who was acting as if nothing had happened.

I've never really gotten close to Amber. I saw her in passing, or heard her voice outside my cell. But now that I've really been acquainted by her, I enjoyed her company, I wished I'd seen her around more often.

I got a look at her, long straightened blonde hair, she had a piercing hole in her ear, but there was no earring in there, she must have to take it out when she comes. Shame really, now I'm just caught wondering what it is. She was very pretty, I did have to admit that.

"Eyes forward." Amber said sternly, not enough for it to be harsh, or coldhearted, but I did as she said and looked forward, because this wasn't a girl I wanted to upset.

We both made our way down the hall, and up a set of stairs to a doorway with the title "Testing Facility" overhead. I felt my stomach flip a few times upon seeing the words, and I instantly decreased my pace.

Amber was caught off guard, and collided with my back, letting go of my wrists in shock. I knew I had a choice right then. I could act as if nothing happened, and wait to get transported into the Testing Facility, and get electrocuted like a rat. or I could take my chances and run.

The thing was, I knew it was futile to run, I wouldn't get anywhere with this tight security. But, with my loosened cuffs I could possibly get them off in time, and get myself the hell out of here. I sighed to myself, this would get Amber in serious trouble, the only person in here that I actually didn't mind.

But she worked with the Institute, she was one of them, she wasn't on my side.

I cursed to myself before slamming back into Amber.

With a shout, she fell beck onto the ground, and I jumped over where she had fallen, too stunned to act, before I sprinted down the hall. The upper hallways had plenty less guards, so I had been running for a few seconds before anyone seemed to notice I was free.

I heard a few cries and commands down the hall, and guards started filling the area around me. I dodged one that sprung at me, and slammed my cuffs against the railing in attempt to break them. No dice, there things were harder than anticipated. If I couldn't get these off, the whole plan was ruined.

Alarms began to ring, and I quickly rounded the corner with a shuddering halt. It was a dead end. Damn this, I had no idea what the layout of this place was, so a dead end was about to happen.

The alarms drowned out any others sounds in the Institute, and the walls were washed in red, it made my skin look like paint. I turned around to find guards making their way down the hall behind me. I was trapped. But that didn't mean I was going to give up without a fight.

When the first guard reached for me, I jumped out of the way, right into the arms of another armed officer. He trapped me with an iron grip, and lifted me off the ground. I kicked and flailed and fought, but he wouldn't let go, and he was crushing my rib cage. In a desperate attempt to free myself, I leaned down and sunk my teeth right in the man's flesh.

He yelled, but I didn't give up, borderline tearing a chunk of his arm off before I was set free. Blood covered the guard's arm, and I could feel it on my lips. Red liquid washed in red light.

I lept away from the bloodied man, desperate like a wild animal that longed for escape. But I didn't get far before something stung my back, and my entire body burned. Electric currents flowed though my skin, and I dropped to the floor, completely immobile. I was surrounded before I knew it, guards lifted me to my feet and tightened my cuffs impossibly tighter. I would have cared, if it weren't for the stinging pain of electricity that was overpowering my restraints.

"What a clever little escape artist." A young officer grumbled in my ear, holding my wrists tight. I panted with the sudden relief of the overwhelming pain, but the aftershock was still there.

The alarms shut down, and the red lights faded, returning the hall to its natural state. Amber was at the end of the hall, her hair was somewhat messed up, and had a deep red spot on her temple, she must have hit it when she fell.

"Taking her back to her cell." The young officer stated behind me, keeping a tight enough hold on me, tighter than necessary. 

"No, to the Testing Facility." The beefy commanded grunting from where he was kneeling by the bitten man on the floor, looking at his wound.

"But, sir..." The teenage boy protested, hesitating between taking care of me immediately, and obeying his orders. "She is dangerous, and should be punished." He stood his ground well enough, but the big shot commander didn't fully agree with him.

"Oh, I agree. And the Testing Facility will give her the punishment she deserves."


	3. Chinese food

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyy so it's been a long time since I updated this book, and I apologize for that. I'm working on making updates more frequent for you guys. Enjoy this one

ABISS Chapter 2  
Chinese Food  


\-----------------

 

 

Well, I almost got fired.

I had no idea what happened back there, first thing I knew, I was taking the subject out to her testing, then the next I was on my face and she had taken off down the hall. She was fast.

I could have been fired, I should've been fired. But thanks to my dad...

I honestly hated using him as an excuse, and a shield. It made me look snobby, and weak. But in all honesty, I'd be unemployed right now if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have half the things I do if it weren't for him. I hated admitting that, but you can't hide from the truth.

Having a father as the District Attorney was really useful, it turned out. Because no one wanted to piss him off, no one could turn him down. He had all the power in this little town, he could control anyone. I was supposed to inherit that from him, but I really didn't want to.

Plus, I didn't want to compete with the Prescott's, the other 'most powerful family in town.' (Yes, because that town gets two of them) And power didn't really matter to me, neither did money. I just needed my friends with me, that's all that mattered.

Speaking of, I wiped the grass and dirt off the soles of my shoes on Chloe Price's doormat. The house she lived in was kind of dingy, the paint was chipping off and dirty, the whole place really needed some work.

I know it was her parents' place before they...

But now she lived there. If you could even call it living. She spent most of her time on the couch, piss drunk or unbelievably high. I don't know why we even hung out, or why I was friends with her. But despite her problems, she always managed to be around when I needed her most, unlike everyone else in my life.

"Chloe, open up." I said, knocking on the front door. Some of the paint chipped off when I banged on it, exposing the stained wood beneath it's blue coating. No response. I looked in through the grimy side window and tried to get a peek at the girl inside, but there was nothing.

I sighed. "Chloe, let me in, I got lunch." But she didn't even respond to my bribe. I reached over and tried the door, only to find it unlocked.

Of course that drunk forgot to lock the door.

Slowly opening the door, I made my way inside the house to the main living room, where I immediately spotted Chloe passed out face first on the couch. I let out an audible noise of disdain and walked over to where she lay.

"Up." I commanded, grabbing the girl's leg and giving it a strong enough yank to jolt her from her slumber. There was an indistinguishable groan from her as she surfaced to reality and looked around the room, trying to find the source of her awakening.

"It's like 5 in the morning, go away." Chloe's voice was barely intelligible, a mumbling mess of tiredness. I sighed and checked my watch. "It's 11:30, but nice try. Up." Chloe continued to disobey, shoving her face back into the dirty pillow.

One more big shove finally gets Chloe to sit up. Her white tank top is no longer white, boring stains that are most likely from several types of alcohol. "What do you waaaant?" Chloe let out a long groan, and I dropped down the paper bag filled with freshly ordered Chinese food onto the table in front of her.

Immediately, Chloe's nose lifted up towards the bag, taking an interest. She reached out her hand to take the bag, but I smacked it away. "Not yet, superstar. Change." She smelled like booze and leftover food, I wasn't going to eat a meal with her. Chloe tried to protest, but I wasn't having it.

"But, but." Came Chloe's weak attempt at protesting, but I shoved her leg. "Go, or no food."

The blue haired girl stood, spreading her arms out to balance herself, she looked like she was about to fall over. "I'm up, I'm up." Chloe paused for a second, before burping. "I'm going down."

I had to jump to catch her before she fell to the ground. "God, Chloe. How much did you drink last night?" I grumbled, lifting her back to her feet. She was still wobbly, so I figured it was a bad idea to let her go. "Do you need me to drag you to your room?"

Chloe nodded, sinking down into my arms. I groaned and dragged her up the stairs, and into her room. The entire thing was surprisingly not that messy, but that's because it was so large, so there was more room for mess than a smaller room. (Like mine)

I dropped Chloe down on the bed, and watched as she crawled round in pursuit of clothes, grabbing some from a pile that lay on the ground, and got herself dressed. I shook my head at her, but this was the best I was going to get from her, so I let it be.

Leaving the room, I gave Chloe some privacy to change out her clothes. It's not like I haven't seen her naked before, but I had better things to do than to watch her wiggle her clothing on. I returned to the bag of Chinese food I had left on the coffee table, and unpacked it neatly.

This place was a mess, Chloe really didn't know how to take care of her own house. Back when it used to belong to Joyce, it was always perfectly clean. (Besides all the dishes and cooking supplies, which were promptly cleaned up) But that was back when Joyce owned the place, Joyce was gone now, and Chloe no longer cared about the well being of her surroundings, or even herself.

I sighed. Back in her childhood, Chloe was such a bright person, she was my best friend. As we grew up, and her parents passed, something broke in her. We were still friends, but I always felt like I was tugging the weight, and Chloe was barely hanging on to herself anymore.

Walking down the stairs, Chloe cut me out of my own thoughts as she slumped down on the couch, wearing a white shirt that was lightly stained, and jeans that were purposefully torn all over her thighs.

"Dude, you got Chinese food? Hell yeah!" The blue haired girl jumped at the food on the table and started serving herself some helpings on the foam plates and bowls I had grabbed for us to eat on. I let out an airy laugh and sat down the cozy chair across the coffee table from where Chloe sat on the couch.

"Dig in, I know you're probably starving." The key to understanding Chloe is knowing that she's always hungry. Maybe it was from the excessive alcohol consumption, or some other strange force, but that girl could never stop eating, and that was troublesome for me.

Me being the only two of us with an actual job, I usually was the one buying food and alcohol, among various other items. But Chloe being the only one of us to have a property to live in, I ended up crashing on the very couch that Chloe was gobbling ginger beef on. So, an eye for an eye, I guess.

One of the reasons I came by this morning was to talk to her about her job, or lack there of. I just needed food to tempt her. I let her eat for a few minutes, and had a few bites myself, before carefully approaching the subject. "Listen, Chloe. I actually have something to talk to you about."

Chloe paused her eating movements mid chew, some egg noodle was spilling from her lips. She quickly slurped up the access noodle before speaking with her mouth full. "Yesh?" I poked at my rice for a second to let her finish swallowing.

"I... uh... here..." I couldn't find the right way to start out my sentence, being direct would scare her away from the conversation and being to vague would force me to be direct and return me back to point A. I had to try to speak Chloe. "Living like this.. with no job and having me buy all of your stuff, it has to be a hard way of living."

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows, then swallowed the rest of her food. "So, what? Is there anywhere you're going with this?" The panicked annoyance in her voice was a strange duo, she was both afraid of me trying to push her into something, and annoyed that I was acting like a parental figure, but if I didn't, who would?

"There is an open spot at the facility, and I think-" But I didn't get to fully speak my mind before Chloe interrupted.

"Oh, no way. I don't want to work at some playground where you play dress up and doctor to sick people. If I wanted that, I would work at the hospital, thanks, but no thanks." It peeved me that Chloe thought of the facility that way, how people see the subjects as 'sick' because they are different. I almost slammed my hand on the table in annoyance, but I knew that I needed to remain calm if I was to convince Chloe to come along with me. I breathed through my nose for a second to collect myself.

"Chloe, listen. You don't have to apply immediately, come with me tomorrow and you can take a look around the place, you can't know what it's like if you've never been there." Chloe still looked against the idea, her body was leaned back, trying to leave the conversation. I just needed one push, something to make it worth her while. "We can hit the liquor store on the way back."

Now she was paying attention, Chloe leaned forward, taking the bait. "Okay, fine. I'll go to your work." The disdain was clear in her voice, but it didn't matter, she agreed. I wore a victorious smile that I knew annoyed Chloe. "Pick you up at 7."

Chloe made a noise of unhappiness, but didn't push further I'd take what I'd gotten. The two of us quickly lost hold of any kind of conversation and ate in silence, this happened to us quite a bit, we just sat quietly in each other's company. But Chloe finally had something she wanted to say.

"So Rachel, speaking of your work, how is it there?" Something in her tone made me question those motives. Shit, she must have caught on that I'm home early, after this morning's stunt, I was relieved early to sit in the corner and pout like a child. (Not really, but that's what it felt like)

I sighed. "Mild, but there was a huge problem today, someone almost got loose on my watch." That was the first time that I ever slipped up on the job since I got it. I've lost so many jobs lately that I can't afford to mess up and lose this one too. But something about how that subject looked at me, how she was so unpredictable, it just completely tore that guard down.

"No way, one of your crazies almost ran free?" Chloe sounded genuinely shocked, excited about the news in front of her. Her ignorance peeved me, but I let it slide in favor of telling the story.

"Yeah, on the way to the Testing Facility, just slipped right out of my hands and made a break for it. Didn't make it far, though." I remembered how the guard grabbed her, squeezing down on her like a boa constrictor. I wasn't surprised when she retaliated, I almost enjoyed seeing one of the Subjects fighting back for themselves.

Chloe sat up from her slouched position. "Really? Was this subject the tall and handsome type? With a jaw that could cut diamonds, and muscles that could lift a hundred pound weight?" Chloe was practically drooling all over herself, it was funny.

"The subject was a girl, Chloe."

"The question still applies."

I laughed. "Well, you'll get to meet her tomorrow, so you can see for yourself."


	4. Cigarettes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, side note: when my friend was proofreading the his chapter. He talked to me about Max’s behaviours. And how she’s 18, but acts like a child. So when reading this, you have to remember that Max was locked away when she was 10. Once she was jailed in the institute, she no longer had any education or anyone to adopt her behaviours from. So Max is an 18 year old girl, with the mind of a 10 year old child. Keep that in mind.  
> Also: the inner dialogue is more intellectual than her words, just because our inside thoughts are always more complex than we speak (That’s just how biology works, really)
> 
> But ANYWAY. You guys didn’t come here for me to lecture you, you came for the story! Have fun

ABISS Chapter 3

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My nose still bled with little aftershocks. It was the next day, but my body still felt the effects of last night's testing. I wiped blood from my nose with my hand. After it dried I would just scrape it all off, I've been used to doing that the past years. No one here has the decency to at least give me a tissue.

I still couldn't believe yesterday really happened. I got free, and was so close to making it the hell out of here, if it weren't for that stupid dead end. I wished I was one of those super muscular Subjects, so I could'a busted every wall down until I was free. Unfortunately, I was stuck with a power that as completely useless under the cuffs that bound my wrists, so I got nabbed real fast. 

It felt good to bite that damned guard, revenge for all those who forced me in a cage, and to dance for them. I was sick of dancing for them.

But, on the other hand, I felt bad for Amber. She was the only person here that didn't treat me like an object rather than a person, and I completely screwed her over. I hope they don't kick her out, I needed at least someone around here to rely on. But on the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised if she hated me. I did something awful to her, to wreck her job. She should be mad at me. I just don't want her to.

I sighed heavily, rolling my wrists under the confines of the cuffs I wore. I hated to have these stupid things on, and what's worse, they tightened them after yesterday. As if my situation wasn't bad enough, they had to try and cut the circulation in my wrists off. Unbelievable.

The lack of any breakfast made my stomach rumble, and I glared down at it. My stomach should already be used to the idea of eating very little, I don't know why it was suddenly complaining. Probably just the schedule being thrown off. I gave it a pat and pushed down my shirt.

I had 20 or so days to do nothing, nothing, and nothing, so how was I going to start that all off? By doing nothing of course.

For a while, I laid on my bed and stared at the bland roof above me, fingers picking at the brand on my skin.  The bump it caused was sometimes mesmerizing to touch, it had a calming effect that kept my mind distracted until the skin became sore from too much rubbing. I also remembered that the bump was made by a brand, so I stopped giving it the attention it demanded.

Then I started to chew my sheets. They tasted interestingly weird and I needed to occupy my mouth somehow.

After that I pulled up my worn mattress and grabbed the broken plastic fork I always hid in there. It was chipped and used from how long I've had it in there, but it's my only drawing tool. The only time I managed to keep one of the forks they give you with meals. When I was 13 I pretended that I lost it, and the guards believed me because I was a dumb 13 year old.

I'm a little smarter than that.

Now what was I going to draw? I wasted when felt like hours of time on the first two boring activities of the day. Maybe some drawing was going to calm me down a little. I huddled down on the ground and grabbed my half plastic fork. A lot of it had been worn off by the friction of rubbing it on the concrete to create scratches. That was the closest thing I had to drawing here, really.

I got to work on creating another drawing. I didn't really know what I was going to do with it, but I already started a curved line. All I could think of was why I was in this cell anyway, because of this stupid power.

The ability to rewind time, move everything except me. I had the ability to warp reality, is what one of the scientists said. I don't even know how to really use it. I used it once when I was 10 years old, it was how I got caught.But I didn't even do it on purpose then, I was just trying to help my family.

Otherwise they have these chains on me, so I couldn't use it even if I wanted to, and during testing it only happens when the scientists stress me out too much. It seemed to be an emotional attachment thing. Which wasn't that useful.

I snapped out of my thoughts to see what I had been drawing while thinking about my power. It was a spiral. Perfectly drawn, swirling indefinitely, it described my power perfectly. Something mysterious. It made me-

There was a sudden noise at my door. It startled me out of my own head, but when I looked up at the small rectangular window, no one was there. I took a moment to think of the situation. There shouldn't be anyone other than workers at the door, no one that would want to kill me, really.

What a shame.

But in all seriousness, I felt myself rising to my feet. I shuffled towards the door at a slowed pace, wary of what I might find on the other side. I peeked through the dirty window and found none other than Amber on the other side.

I almost fell over upon setting my eyes on her. It was so unusual that she was here, at my room. Since I, you know, should have gotten her fired. She should resent me just like everyone else does, but she doesn't. Or maybe she does, and this is her revenge story. 

All of my emotions for her swirl inside myself. I'm happy she's here, and she hasn't just given up on me. But she shouldn't be here, she should hate me for almost getting her fired, or she should be fired, not standing outside my room with this weird look on her face.

That's when I noticed that she wasn't alone. There was another girl that stood beside her. The Other One was taller, and she didn't wear a uniform, she just had regular clothing on. It was so weird to see someone wearing regular street clothes. I haven't seen them in so long. I caught myself staring and blinked, focusing my eyes on her blue hair instead.

Her hair was so bright and out of place that it was very jarring. Does hair naturally grow blue like that? I've never seen anyone like it, she must be some rare kind of human. I suddenly felt very scared, I didn't like this rare human and Amber side by side. I rested my chin on the lip of the window and began to growl.

Amber tilted her head, and the Other One wasn't paying attention to me, so I growled louder to attract her eyes over to me. Upon looking at me, she didn't look very intimidated. More like she wanted to laugh, so I had to pump it up a notch.

I curled my lip to show some teeth with my growl, maybe that would scare her. Instead, the Other One began to laugh, loudly at that. Why wasn't she scared of me? Was I not scary enough? I growled even more, opening my mouth and separating my teeth. But she continued to laugh.

"What's wrong with this one?" She managed to ask though her laughs. Amber ignored her and looked at me in the glass. I turned my attention towards her, and toned down the growling, but I still let a low grumble escape my lips. Amber watched amused, there was a slight smile to her face as she did. Then she did something I didn't expect. She growled back.

It wasn't ferocious, or mean, it was a playful growl. Did she think I was just playing? I was not playing. To prove it, I growled louder, letting my teeth show once again. I didn’t get the reaction I was striving for. I want to prove to her I'm tough. But she laughed.

It's a sweet laugh. Not mean and mocking like the Other One. Why wasn't this working?

The Other One in the back began to laugh more. "What is that one doing? She high, or something?" Amber ignored her and focused on the window, on me. I stopped the growling, as I knew it was futile. So I just stared at Amber, waiting for her next move. She had to be in front of my door for a reason, especially after what happened yesterday.

"Take her out." Amber said, sure of her words. I was shocked for a minute. What was she going to do, kill me? No, surely that wasn't her plan, but I could never be sure around the guards here. But Amber is different, I know she is.

Do I?

The guards grumbled back, something deep and incoherent. I focused my eyes on Amber.

"I'm taking her out, it's time for the showers." Amber insisted. The showers? It wasn't time for the showers, I was there 4 days ago. The guards still persisted, one shuffled over and blocked my view of the situation by standing in front of the window.

The voices had quieted outside, all I could hear was the pitch and gender of each voice. Amber fought back against the big, tough guards, all for letting me out. It felt nice.

After a few minutes of keeping my ear to the door, the guards moved away and the loud slam of the door's seal breaking rang in my ears. The beefy guards stepped back to reveal Amber and the Other One waiting for me.

Unbelievable. I may not know the inner workings of this place like Amber does, but I'm sure that Amber shouldn't be able to easily take me anywhere after yesterday. But somehow, she did it. I wasn't sure what to do next, so I stood awkwardly and waited for Amber to make a move.

She did. Taking my cuffs in her tightened hands, she led me outwards into the hall. The grip in which she held me was almost painful, but I didn't blame her, I would be extra cautious around me, too. This time, though, I wasn't going to try anything. I learned my lesson loud and clear.

We walked down the hallway quietly. Amber holding me tightly, and her weird friend smiling like an idiot.

"Rach, that was awesome. You shut them up in a second." The blue one chuckled, bumping Amber's shoulder lightly. Rach? I've never heard that one, maybe that had ties to Amber's name. But that must mean that the Other One knows Amber's name. I always thought Amber _was_ her name.

"The second you mentioned your dad, and the power you hold over both of them, they wet their pants." the Other One droned on. So that was it, huh? Amber had power, higher power than any of the guards here, apparently. I started to feel uncomfortable.

Amber tightened her hold to keep my shuffling controlled, she didn't look comfortable with any of her actions. "Yeah, well it was the only way I could get her out." Amber turned the corner, keeping me tightly held in front of her. We moved mechanically, down terribly familiar halls.

"Right, yes." The Other One shoved past the last conversation, and sped her pace, so she was now walking directly beside me. "So, this is the one you were talking about?" The fact that someone was 'talking about' me was very unsettling. I felt my shoulders shrink.

"Yep, the one and only." Amber sighed as we moved further. The Other One was walking too close, her shoulder was almost brushing mine. "Huh..." She started, but I tuned out the last bit. There was something in her jeans pocket. It was a slim white sorta thing, but I wasn't sure what it was. There was a kind of shine to it, and something was sticking partly out of it. A small cylinder that was either orange with a white tip, or white with an orange tip, I couldn't quite tell with the amount I saw.

I moved my wrists over to investigate it, but Amber was quick to correct me. I let out a small huff of anger. Why wouldn't she let me look at the skinny cylinder? I was just curious.

The sudden feeling of someone else's hand on my shoulder and I struggled out of the hold. Amber grunted to keep her hold on me, and the Other One kept inspecting me. We were almost in the shower section, this area is mostly abandoned, it's under renovation. No guards were stationed here. There weren't even lights here, the lighting from the main hallway was all we had.

I broke out of Amber's hold, but I didn't run. Instead, I used my new freedom to my advantage in separating myself from the Other One. They both came after me in an attempt to get me held back up, and I had no choice to cower against the wall.

Amber grabbed my bicep, but when she grabbed at my wrists, I revolted. My wrists were all sore from the cuffs and the previous squeezing. I struggled when she tried to grab.

"Are your wrists too sore? Let me hold." Amber's voice had an undertone of impatience, but she kept herself calm. I nodded quietly and whined from the pain in my wrists. The pitiful sound caught the Other One's attention and she turned to face me. Amber had her eyes on me too.

A guilty look resided on Amber's face as she agreed. "I won't hold your wrists. But I have to hold your arms, okay?" She asked softly, her hand still on my bicep. I nodded again, that was much better than my already sore wrists.

We quickly advanced on into the showering area, the whole room was abandoned. It was off schedule, I knew that. That's why I was confused about the visit. Everything was under renovation, so the walls were still black. Made from a very special material, I didn't quite know what it was, though.

The only light source were a bunch of florescent lanterns posted at each shower. I had always found the area calming. The Other One, however, didn't seem to have the same mindset. We stopped at the first stall. Amber grabbed a key from her pocket. It was a key to my cuffs.

"Okay, so you know that I have to adjust your cuffs here. Don't move too much." Amber said, with her steady hands grabbing at my cuffs. It's hard to shower with two chained arms, so the guards have to free one hand, while keeping both wrist cuffs bound to the subject's non dominant arm. That way, they can properly shower, and still have their abilities blocked.

With my right arm free from grasp, I felt like I could finally breathe properly. I rolled the joint once, then twice in a sweet freedom. Amber attached the other cuff to my left arm, and the Other One watched from an uncomfortably close fixation.

When she saw me look her in the eyes, she respectfully turned away. Maybe she learned from her actions in the hallway. I finally got another look of that slim box in her pocket, I even reached out to it a little.

"All done." Amber announced, locking up the second cuff on my wrist. She signaled the Other One to grab me a towel, then I was allowed in the stall. The two of them had to wait outside for me, but I hid behind the curtain, already feeling relaxed. I put my (limited amount of) belongings to the side, and started the water.

It was so soothing to finally have water running down my back. Every shower time felt like it was the first ever shower time. I allowed myself to take all the time I wanted, even when the hot water ran out and I was plunged into an icy rain.

I took my time washing myself and my hair. Not caring about making Amber and the Other One wait for me. They can wait. Their voices are just a hum behind the noise of the shower in my ears, they spoke frequently, but there were pauses in their conversation, looming silences.

After I was finished, I turned the water off and sat for a moment. Amber slid some fresh clothes and a towel into the shower, but I didn't quite choose to wear them. It's not frequent that I get to be free of all clothing. I cherished this mini freedom, this small win. But eventually, I put the clothes on. Not having much of a trouble with the double cuffs, the uniforms are baggy.

Before opening the curtains, I take the time to inspect the box I'd taken out of the Other One's pocket. It read 'cigarettes' on the front. I knew what these were, my mom used them a lot. I didn't quite know what they were used for, I just knew that they smelled awful. Despite that, I pulled one out from the package and gave it a small sniff.

It smelled... really bad. Almost as bad as I remembered, but it also smelled like the outside. It didn't carry the bland smell that everything in the Institute did. It was new, and refreshing, and I had to blink out the water that came into my eyes.

"Yeah? Well... Hey, where the hell'd my cigarettes go?" The Other One's voice rang out clearly from the other side of the curtain. I gulped in a panic and tried to find a place to hide the stolen cigarettes. "Seriously, the fuck?"

"Chloe, quiet down." Amber scolded to the Other One (who was apparently named Chloe?) I panicked on where to put the cigarette pack. With a sudden pull, the curtain was opened, and Chloe was staring at me.

"You!" Her anger was prominent, "you took my pack." I stumbled away from her and kept the pack in my pocket. I liked it, why did everything I like have to be taken away from me?

"Chloe, lay off. Let me take care of this." Amber stepped forward, moving between me and Chloe.

"Rachel, it was my pack she took." Chloe shot back.

"I know, but you're an unfamiliar person to her." Rachel said.

"I didn't even feel her take it, one hell of a sneaky catch." Chloe looked over Rachel's shoulder directly at me. I shrunk back against the wall.

Rachel quieted her voice down, but I could still hear it. "She doesn't get many things to herself, Chloe. All she has is an empty cell and stale air to breathe." Chloe bit her lip and thought about it, then looked at me. I looked down and my cheeks burned from the truth. I didn't get to have anything, all I wanted was this.

I shrunk back even more against the wall behind me as Chloe approached. She was much taller than me, and scary. Chloe didn't speak for a little, she just stared at me. Then she said. "Is that true? Do you really have nothing?"

I wasn't sure why Chloe was not hostile anymore, so I just nodded in hopes she would back down. I was sitting on the ground at this point, my back pushed against the wall. Chloe extended her hand, I flinched away. Until I realized that she wanted to lift me up, I let her.

"Can I just..." Chloe paused to form her words. "Can I have them back?" I suddenly felt defensive of my new property. I let out a throaty whine in defense. Chloe looked conflicted.

"Look, I'm sorry. But they're mine." Chloe said, holding out her hand for me to drop the pack in. Rachel's eyes on me, and so were Chloe's. I felt no choice but to take the pack from my pocket and slowly place it into her palm.

"Thanks. I know-" I cut Chloe's words off by snapping my teeth towards her hand. I had no intention to actually hurt her, but scare her as a payback. Chloe jumped back in surprise, and her head smacked against the curtain bar.

Chloe grunted and rubbed her head. "Yep, I deserved that."

I couldn't help it, this noise started to bubble in my throat, and came out my lips. It was a noise I hadn't made in a while, and I wasn't used to hearing it either. It was laughing. Both girls looked at me while I let out a few spouts of quiet laughter. But eventually when it died out, Rachel fixed my cuffs back up, and walked me to my cell.

I still had one cigarette left in my pocket.


	5. Midnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I should probably set up some sorta update schedule for this story :/

ABISS Chapter 4

 

 

I awoke to the sound of my cell door opening.

I had troubles sitting up, trying to shake myself from the heavy slumber I was in. There was no way it was morning yet. But that's because it wasn't. It was almost pitch dark in my room, if it weren't for the full moon shining in through the skylight and into my window, I wouldn't be able to see anything. It looked at around the 1 or 2 am position, shining brighter than ever.

For a few seconds, I start to think I imagined the loud sound, and it was just the light of the moon that woke me. But then the cell door started to push open, someone was coming in. Or letting me out.

The last thought got me to sit up quickly. So quickly that I had to slouch back down before the sickness in my stomach got too strong. It was quiet for a moment, nothing and no one moved as I waited in anticipation for what came next. I figured I should move and investigate what was happening, but I didn't know if it was a trap. And, really, I didn't have the faith to trust anyone.

After what felt like a long time, the door pushed open even more, and a person finally came through. The moonlight from the hall shined from behind them, and the absence of light within my cell kept me from seeing who it was. The person turned on a flashlight, which was aimed right at my eyes. I cringed, moving my face away from the beam and squinting to get the light out of my eyes.

"Sorry, sorry." Rachel's voice shot out from the darkness. The beam moved away from me, and allowed me to see properly. Rachel set the flashlight down so the light was aimed at the roof, and illuminated the room without causing an eyesore.

I stared at her as she closed the cell door with slow movements to make sure she didn't make much noise. I was shocked at the fact that she was here. Why was she here? It was completely against the rules for her to be in my room after hours, or much at all unless she was only coming in here to take me places.

Rachel had her hands cupped together and pressed against her stomach, as if she didn't know what to do with them. She stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Um, mind if I sit?" Rachel asked, shuffling her body weight. I nodded with careful small movements, still unaware of what tricks she could pull, but desperately wanting to trust her anyway.

Rachel used small steps to make her way over to my bed, intent on sitting on the mattress with me. I felt my lip curl involuntarily the closer she got to me, she noticed it too, and stopped in her tracks. This was way out of my comfort zone, and way against the rules I was forced into. I didn't know if I could trust her to sit with me yet.

"Got it." Rachel nodded with pursed lips, and slowly moved to the opposite wall, leaning her back against it before slowly sliding down to land softly on her butt. We both sat quiet for a long time as Rachel patted her knees with her palms and surveyed the small cell room that I could call my own, with what little light we had.

Rachel blew some air out of her slightly pursed lips before breaking our silence. "A little chilly in here, huh?" She looked to me for a response, but I didn't give one. I was too busy trying to figure myself out. I still felt disoriented from the rude awakening. The light inside the small cell was a combination of white moonlight from outside, and the alarming yellow coming from the flashlight Rachel brought in.

"Okay... just... Can you tell me your name?" She asked, stopping the random icebreakers and getting into the reason (I'm assuming) she's here. She wanted to know my name? What is so important about it? She is supposed to know my subject number, and only my subject number. The desire for her to know my name was suspicious and untrustworthy and I didn't like it one bit. I shuffled backward on my mattress, creating more space between me and her. Normally I like to trust Rachel, but this, this was not normal.

I flared my nostrils, but didn't speak.

"Listen, my name is Rachel." She said. "I know you probably overheard my name at some point, but if I ask you to reveal a piece of yourself to me, I have to return that, don't I?" She was right, I did know that. I licked my lips, they tasted like blood.

My breathing became shallow, then uneven, then deep. "You... Not supposed to know." I said, regretting speaking as soon as the words came out. My throat ached, it's been so long since I've used it for speaking.

"Hm?" Rachel hummed, staring at me with an almost shocked expression.

"My name. You not supposed to know." My throat still burned, but I spoke anyway.

"Um, yeah. I just... I want to know." Rachel rubbed the back of her neck.

"Why?"

"Because you're more than just a number on a sheet, okay?" Rachel admitted, beginning to scratch at her neck this time. "I don't want to regard you as some sort of number. You're different, you're intriguing. And quite frankly, you're treated unfairly."

I swallowed a thick ball of saliva and mucous. I think I was starting to get sick. Rachel was looking at me with such sincerity that I couldn't look away. Her eyes looked like hollow sockets with the beam of light beside her face casting her eyeballs into the shadows. The sight was unsettling, until she shuffled herself and the effect was gone.

"Max." The word came out broken, something that I haven't spoke, or haven't heard in months, in years. Saying it brought me back to my youth, brought me back to when I was a little girl, being tucked in bed by my mother. Those days were gone. And I didn't want to think of them anymore.

I turned my face away from the girl on the floor, ashamed of opening myself up. If there is anything I've learned from being in this place, it's to keep myself locked up as tight as possible. But it was so hard. I wanted to trust Rachel, I _needed_ to trust her. For my sanity, I needed to have someone to trust.

It wasn't that easy. Rachel is on the side of my oppressors, she works with the ones that keep me here. But she does not act like they do. She is kind, and caring, and has shown me no harm when she easily should have. 

The war raged inside me, in my head, in my heart, in my abdomen. I was so consumed with it that I didn't know the time passage, or Rachel, who had moved from her spot on the floor and sat beside me on the mattress. I moved my head very slowly to meet her gaze. She was gentle, carefully wrapping her arm around me and pulling me to her side.

I haven't touched another human like this in so long.

It hurts, but I wanted more. Rachel was so warm, her shirt was soft. I leaned against her shoulder and allowed her to pull me in, demolishing the war inside me. My body felt warm, and fuzzy inside. Was that the feeling of companionship? Of relying on others? I didn't care, I was just happy that someone cared about me.

"Max." Rachel repeated, I wasn't sure if she was just echoing it, or if she really wanted to say something, just didn't know how. Either way, I didn't speak. I allowed the feeling of another person to envelop me, I was consumed with true companionship for the first time in so long, I forgot what it felt like to have others to lean on.

"I just wanted to say-" But then I fell asleep.


	6. ABISS chapter 5: Testing Coin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter really isn’t my best. But I’ve kept you guys waiting too long. So here ya go
> 
> PS: this is the first time you get to hear more about Max’s past. But soon, there will be more

ABISS chapter 5

Testing Coin:

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It had been 21 days since Rachel Amber came to visit me at midnight. It was a memory I’d never forget. And yet, one I would never get to relive.

I thought- stupidly -that Rachel coming by would be a regular thing, that I could put my trust in her. But I was wrong. I think I was. I mean, I’ve still seen her around. She’s transported me a few times. But no banter, no midnight visits. Did I do something wrong?

I asked myself that a lot. It was something that really ached at me, it kept me from thinking properly every time Rachel’s skin touched mine. Well, every time she touched me was weird. Maybe it was a lack of having physical contact with anyone these days, but when her skin rested upon mine. It felt great, it felt like I was alive again. Like I was me again.

But I’ve had a lack of that recently. The past week. I haven’t left my room, my feet were aching to move. But I didn’t move them.

I sat on the edge of my mattress, surveying the cigarette once again. After almost a month, I still kept it, I still managed to hide it. I brought my nose to it and inhaled the gross smell of it. It smelled like my mother. She smoked these things all the time when I was around. I wondered if she still smoked them then, 8 years later.

There was a chance she still did. Especially after losing her one and only child, having that stress around. But what if she wasn’t stressed about me? What if, after all this time, she chose to let me go? She wouldn’t do that, would she?

I regretted being so lenient with my Rewind. That’s how they caught me.

I had forgotten the way the Rewind worked, so when I ran over to the crime scene, then rewound. I was caught. It was a shock to even my family, as I hadn’t told them about it. I was 10, I didn’t know what to do!

They- The Institute -originally had me in here for teleportation. But after they did some tests, they found out I was much more than that. I was something they had never seen before. Something that’s one of a kind. I was something they feared.

And I enjoyed it. I know that is weird, but when they feared me, I loved it, I was finally in control of something. But not for very long, as they grabbed my skinny wrists and threw me in a cell. Where I still sit to this day.

  
I just wanted to go home to my family. See my mom and dad again, go out to the park with grandpa, get ice cream with grandma. The very memories stung my eyes, tears threatened to pool out, but couldn't let them. I had to stay strong in here, no one was allowed to know they'd gotten to me. No matter how much they actually did.

  
For 8 years all I could think about was my family, how much it hurt to not see them, how much I cared about them. I even thought about how they may have forgotten me. It's been so long, who knows if I'm just some long lost memory?

  
That one hurt most of all, and I couldn't help the pain that swelled in my chest, and the pain that made my eyes water. I curled up on my mattress, face in my hands so that if someone walked by, it wasn't obvious that I was crying.

  
It had been so long since I actually cried, I felt like I forgot how to actually do it. Dry sobs came out of my mouth in small bursts, but no tears came out. I damned myself for it. I couldn't do anything else in this life, I had no freedom to move, no freedom to say what I wanted, or what I felt. Crying was the only thing I had, but I couldn't even do it?

  
That's finally when the tears came, they rushed down my cheeks faster than I willed them to. Before I could control myself, I let out a loud guttural noise that came from the back of my throat, it sounded like the battle cry of a dying animal.  
I only wanted to see my family, see the ones I love again.

  
My cell door cracked open, and I jumped from my hunched position to see who was there. Immediately, I wiped my eyes and pretended as if I wasn't just sobbing.

  
Rachel came in. The girl I hadn't seen in weeks, almost a month. She stood at the door of my cell, wordless for a few moments.

  
"Come on, let's go." She said, with a stern expression. I gulped. Was she really mad at me for something? I just needed to know so I could stop beating myself up about it.

  
"W... Where?" I mumbled, when I knew no one was around with us. Rachel just have seen the fear in my eyes, as hers softened. The whole facade she had on evaporated, too. I thought she really was mad at me... she's good at acting.  
"Let's go, and I'll show you."

  
I rose to my feet slowly, my knees shaking. When I reached Rachel, she grabbed my wrists lightly, pretending she actually had a tight hold on me. I didn't mind. When she led me out, there was another guard there.

  
He was also fairly young, trimmed blonde hair with a pissed expression on his face. His name tag read 'Hampden' in all capital lettering. Something about him looked familiar, but I couldn't really point out what it was. Until I looked down and saw the bandaging around his forearm. That was the guard I'd bitten during my escape. His green eyes burned into me, looks like he didn't forget either.

  
"Move out of the way, Elliott." Rachel commanded, holding me close, as if to be protective. The way she spoke to him, it seemed like he was dangerous. I gulped and tried to step back.

  
"Do you have the authorization to take her?" Elliott asked, his head tilting.

  
"Yes."

  
"Show me." Elliott demanded, tapping his foot on the floor.

  
"Elliott, I don't have time for this. If I don't get her to testing in time, I'm in real trouble." Rachel said, reflexively tightening her grip. I whined under the pressure.

  
"That sounds like your own problem." Elliott grunted.

  
"Not when I'm dragging you down with me."

  
The two held each other's gaze, both unwavering.

  
I stood, passive, and allowed the two to continue in front of me. Elliott narrowed his eyes one last time, then gave up and stepped aside for Rachel and I to continue down the hall. I kept my head down and anticipated some sort of hellish experience. Maybe Rachel wouldn’t do that to me, but only time would tell. She hasn’t screwed me over just yet.

  
When we approached the testing lab, I began to get restless. Moving my limbs in an attempt to escape. Rachel insisted on keeping me close, even speaking into my ear with a whisper. “Shh it’ll be okay. Don’t you trust me?” I guess I did, I was just being extra careful. I knew I could relax.

  
I stopped most of my resistance (but kept my stiff muscles) and put my faith in Rachel. The blinding white lights bouncing off the white walls made me blink. Rachel didn’t seem fond of the brightness either, but we both continued to walk down the rows of testing rooms until we reached an empty one at the end. Except it wasn’t empty. Inside, there was a testing doctor, who always conducts these awful ‘experiments.’ And Chloe was standing beside him. She still wore civilian clothes, that black jacket with ripped jeans. She didn't look happy to be there. Well, I wasn't either, so I understood how she was feeling.

Without many words, I was given to the doctor and strapped into place in the uncomfortable chair that they test subjects in.  
The glass cuffs that locked me into place were as uncomfortable as they looked, but why would they waste time making me comfortable? They don't make murderers comfortable before they kill them, do they?

  
Before we start the testing, more procedures are followed. Since they figured out that my power not only affects us, but the entire world, the doctor gave himself and the two girls some special cuffs. They were made from my blood, and meant to make the wearer immune to the effects of my powers. From the conversations I overheard, the Institute decided not to warn the world of my powers, saying that it would cause “mass panic.” So they selfishly kept it to themselves.

  
The doctor sent out an alert to the rest of the building saying that my powers were about to be used. I slumped into my chair, and Rachel frowned.

  
“All right. Let’s begin, number…” The doctor searched his clipboard for the subject number I was, “117? No, 110.” If he had to look for my number, certainly my name was on there, right? Or did they only know me by what power I had? That made sense, giving me a name would make me human. And I know they don’t want that.

  
“First, let’s start simple. Shall we?” The doctor asked, reaching into his pocket to grab a coin. “Stop this from hitting you.”  
Before I could react to what he said, the doctor flicked the coin right into my eye. I grunted in pain and shut my eye, instinctively tried to reach up and cover the spot impacted by the coin. The restraints denied me that, however, and the force of my reach caused my body to jerk.

  
The doctor chuckled. “Now let’s do it, stop me.” How was I supposed to stop him? I could barely move, he was just messing with me. I was a toy to him. Rachel’s frown had increased in the back of the room, but she didn’t say anything, she crossed her arms and shifted her stance in discomfort.

  
I stretched my fingers out, getting ready to unleash my power. Under these cuffs, I couldn’t unleash the full potential of my powers. I knew that because the doctors said it, I’ve never really gotten to use the full power of it, just a few times when I first found it. Maybe now that I was older, it was stronger...

  
Time began to reverse around me. But the people in the room weren’t affected. The doctor smirked while his surroundings reversed. Rachel closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. She’d been here once or twice when I’ve Rewound, so this is not her first time around. It was for Chloe, though. She looked like she was going to vomit.

  
Once I’d finished with my rewind, and the coin was back in the doctor’s palm, he wasted no time flicking it once again. I anticipated the shot to my eye, so I leaned my head back to avoid the hit. But he didn’t shoot it at the same place, instead, it hit my throat rather hard.

  
I sat back up in the chair, and let out an involuntary growl. This was just playtime for the stupid scientist, huh? Well, he was going to find out what I thought of his ‘playtime.’ I began to reverse time, the coin left my lap and began to travel back to its starting point. But that’s when I changed it up.

  
Around it’s middle point, I let go of my grip on time. Now that I knew where the coin was going, I stretched my body up as far as possible, and caught it with my teeth. Everyone in the room sat still, the doctor frowned in shock.

  
Chloe watched as he wrote something on his clipboard, getting on her tiptoes to see his writing. Immediately, Rachel and Chloe exchanged glances, speaking to each other despite no words coming out. How could they understand each other?  
“That’s enough for today. Take her away.” The doctor (Doctor Merrik, his nametag said) spoke over his shoulder to the two girls behind him. Chloe was the first one to move, which was surprising. But eventually Rachel followed, the two girls were rough when taking me back to my prison.

 


	7. Chapter 6: Nightshift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa omg I’m so sorry it took me this long to get a chapter out. I promise it won’t happen again.

ABISS Chapter 6: Nightshift

————————————

 

“You were right, Rachel. That girl is something special.” Chloe said, then took a sip from her beer bottle. Chloe barely took any time cracking open her drink the second we got to the house.

  
I nodded, “I know. She’s the only person I’ve had a real connection with in a long time.

  
Chloe put her hand to her chest, in mock offence. “What? And not me?” I gave her a look. She laughed.

  
After today, with the testing, and being in the room as Max used her powers. I hadn’t done that in a while, and clearly, neither had she. I’ve been meaning to visit her recently, like I did that one night. But it's been a whole month and I’ve barely spoken to her. It wasn’t purposeful, I swear. But I’ve been knee deep in online college classes, and trying not to get caught and fired.

  
I knew Max had no one to rely on in there. She couldn’t communicate with any of the people around her, and the guards torture her on a daily basis. She was all alone in there. I had a plan to go see her again, at midnight I was going to sneak in and pay her a visit. She deserved it.

  
“It sucks you got work tonight.” Chloe said, switching conversations and downing the last few drops of her beer. “We totally coulda chilled with pizza and a movie.”

  
I nodded, “sounds like fun, but the graveyard shift won’t do itself. No matter how much I want it to.”

  
Chloe drank, “no matter how much I’d rather do myself.” I couldn’t help the chuckle that rose from my mouth as I shoved her leg. “Gross.”

  
Chloe laughed too, a low grumble in her throat followed by beer. I watched the way Chloe’s throat bobbed, the way her blue hair fell over her forehead.

  
"Just take a day or two off, Rachel. You're working your ass off lately. I haven't been able to spend time with you." Chloe said, fiddling with the paper label on her beer bottle.

"Okay, I will." I agreed, "but after tonight. I'm going to see Max again." Chloe stopped the picking for a moment, then continued.

"You really got the hots for her, huh?"

"As if." I deflected.

"Does that mean we have to stop having casual sex?" Chloe asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"Yes, it does." I said, "we should have stopped that a while ago."

Chloe's smirk creeped on her face. “Awe, don’t like being casual lovers with me?”  
I cringed, “never call it that.”

  
Chloe deflected my rejection with laughter. “Suit yourself.”

  
I went back to planning my visit with Max, and Chloe went back to her drinking. Both of us in aching silence.

  
***

When my alarm clock switched to 12:30, I had my keys in my hand, and my uniform on. Most days I’d rather slam my head against a wall than do the graveyard shift, but I had a plan today. One that made messing up my sleep schedule worth it.

  
I tried to move around the house as quiet as possible, to avoid the snoring Chloe in the room across from mine.

  
Once in the car, I had troubles getting the key in the ignition, my hand trembling from lack of sleep. I had to use both of my hands to hold the key steadily. The drive to the Institute was quiet, with most cars being off the street at that hour. Only a few Semi Trucks and cars with different licence plates occupied the road. No one definite.

  
The Institute itself was outside the town limits, isolated. Just like its prisoners are isolated from society. I swallowed hard as I pulled up to the locked down facility. It looks a lot more like a prison after the sun had set.

  
Upon going in, I had to scan my ID card in this scanner area, because of this place’s uptight security. Then I went to the main office for a report.

  
“Ah, Amber. You’re early.” Mr. Jefferson said, looking through tonight’s schedule. I nodded impatiently and waited for what he was going to say. “2 hours outside watch. 3 hours inside watch.”

  
Was he kidding? I had to walk around the outside of this stupid building for 2 stupid hours? What could really happen? The guards indoors will catch anyone sneaking out, and no one can sneak in because of the stupidly tight security here. Ugh, whatever. All I wanted was to see Max again.

  
With a mock salute which I would get in trouble with if I did it to literally anyone else here, I walked out of the office.

  
Once outside, I shivered from the breeze that swayed the trees. I wished the uniforms they gave us were more… useful. I sighed to myself, the quicker these next few hours were over, the quicker I could see Max. So I had to plan how I was going to sneak in with her.

  
Max’s block is the smallest in the entire Institute, it’s the newest one, and most of the cells are unoccupied. It was usually the least watched. I could make it clear that’s where I’m going to be posted, then slip into Max’s cell when no one is there.

  
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I had done it once before, I could do it again. Since I’m part of the staff, no one will notice my sneaking around. I’ve gained the trust I needed, I just needed to make sure I didn’t get caught breaking it. I was already on thin ice after I let Max get a run on everybody. So this would have to be planned out.

  
Two brain numbing hours later, and I was ready to switch places with an indoor watchguard. I didn’t recognize him, he must be exclusively in the night shift.

Once inside, I stumbled to Max’s block. It’s harder to see everything in the dark, I’m not used to everything being in this plunging darkness. I turned my phone flashlight on to see.

I knew the cameras were going to be a problem, as they always were. But I always had access to the system. I wasn’t worried. If I’ve broken into the camera system before, I can do it again. Narrowly avoiding a security camera, I set off to the control panel in Max’s block. With a little bit of traceless tinkering, I could shut down the cameras just long enough to pay a short visit.

  
I put in the codes I needed to, and did my dirty work that I’d done a thousand times, planting a bug into the security system. You’d think the Institute would be so uptight about the cameras turning off every once and a while, but since nothing bad ends up happening (that they know of) while the systems are down; they just call it a small bug to put on the to-do list. Idiots.

  
As the cameras shut down, I returned to making my way to Max’s room. At the entrance, I paused before entering. What was I going to say? Should I just say hello, maybe apologize for ignoring her for so long? Ugh, waiting around won’t help; I only have limited time with the cameras off.

  
I cracked open Max’s cell door, then immediately put in the authority code to authenticate my entrance. Last thing I needed was for an alarm to go off, and me getting caught.

  
Rustling came from within the room, and when I came in, Max was staring right at me.

  
“Shit, sorry.” I said, moving my phone’s flashlight away from her eyes. Max nodded with her eyes closed; still wincing from the pain.

  
Things were still… awkward between Max and I, so we both sat in silence. I waited for her to make a move, and she waited for me to make one, but nothing happened.

  
“Um.” I said, breaking the silence.“Listen, I’m sorry for not coming by for a while, and for basically ignoring you. Things are tough around here.” Max nodded wordlessly.

  
I walked over to the wall across Max’s bed; pressing my back against the wall, and sliding down onto my butt. Max seemed to appreciate the gesture of giving her space.

  
I patted my hands on my knees. Turns out there's not much conversation to be had between yourself and a girl who has been imprisoned most of her life. Looking around and breathing harsh breaths, I tried to grasp some sort of topic of conversation.

"So, how are you?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck to give my hands something to do other than shake. Max doesn't reply, instead she stares at me with this look of ' _what do you think?_ '

"Right, sorry." I apologized, "I just don't know what to talk about right now."

Max sat back in her bed. "Don't." She said, her voice raspy.

"Like, don't talk?" I asked, for clarification.

Max nodded. "Enjoy company, not words."

That... made a lot of sense. I closed my open mouth, and leaned back against the cold wall. Max sat on her mattress, eyes closed; she looked like she had no care in the world. How could she do that? An imprisoned girl- who is used for cruel and inhumane lab tests -is more carefree than me, who really does have nothing to worry about.

I found myself staring at Max as she sat in peaceful silence. Without meaning to, I opened my mouth. "How can you be so calm?" I asked, and watched her peek one eye open to look at me. She let out a raspy and questioning hum.

I stood up. "You look so calm, like you aren't a prisoner of these greedy bastards, like you aren't forced to live in a cage for the rest of your life. Why?"

Max thought about my words for only a second before saying, "because I know there nothing I can do to change it, so I might as well just give up and go with it. It hurt less to not give a shit rather than spend you whole life fighting something that you can't change."

That was the longest thing I've ever heard Max say. She even looked out of breath for speaking so long. My gut twisted, I couldn't imagine living a life where I wasn't in control. A life where I was just someone's toy. I said, "I'm sorry." Because I had no idea what else to do.

Max nodded, then jerked her head as a signal for me to sit on the mattress. I did.

"Why... why you come here?" Max asked, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around to keep them in place.

I didn't quite know what she meant. "Um... like, in here with you?" I asked. Max nodded.

I purse my lips and blow air out, causing my lips so smack together. Max watches my face curiously. "You're different. I don't know. I feel something coming from you."

Max frowns. "Like what?"

"I don't know."

Max's frown stays. She doesn't respond.

I noticed how close Max and I were sitting, our sides were so close to touching, her baggy clothes brushed up against me. I didn't know what I felt, but it was something amazing. Max's energy is radiating off her skin or something. I don't know what it is, but my chest swells when I'm near her, and when I think about her. I've never felt anything like it before.

"Amber?"

"Rachel." I corrected, and looked back at Max.

"Rachel. When you here with me last time." Max's grammar was slipping again. But I wasn't surprised. "You wanted to talk at me 'bout something."

"With, not at." I said.

Max nodded. "What was it?"

Shit, what was it? Right, right.

"I just wanted to get to know you. You know? Like, what was your family like?" I asked, remembering what I wanted to talk about.

Max gulped. "F... family?" Now it looked like the poor girl was about to spontaneously start crying. She curled up even more, her fingernails digging into her knees. I couldn't see her face that well with this lowered light. But I could imagine what it was like all by myself.

I'm an expert at stepping over the line, huh? Damn it, now I had to try and fix this.

  
"Oh, no." I said, "hey its okay. We don't have to talk about it if you're not comfortable."

  
Max pressed her chin to her knees. “What about you family?” She asked, rotating her head to look at me.

  
I licked my lips. “Well, my dad is an asshole. And my mom…” That one was a long story, I didn’t feel like getting into it with Max, who would probably have no idea what I was talking about. So I just decided to move on. “Chloe is the only real family I’ve got.”

  
“Blue hair?” Max asked, lifting her chin.  
I chuckled, “yes. Blue hair.”

  
“She scare me…” Max shrunk into herself a little to prove her point.

  
“Trust me, she scares everyone. But not in the same way.”

  
Max leaned into me, her body pressed into mine. My breathing caught for a minute. Just because I didn’t expect it. “What do you and her do?” Max asked.  
I figured that mentioning the casual sex probably not a good idea, so I stayed clear of that. “Well. We live together, and we watch movies and things.” That was the most basic description of Chloe and I that I could come up with.

  
“What movies?” Max seemed interested.  
“Uh, we just watched Shawshank Redemption last night.” And Chloe had fallen asleep, it was funny.

  
“What that?” Max then moved her chin to rest against my shoulder. My breaths felt panicked, but why? Personal space violation?

  
“It’s a movie about…” I looked around the room, “a prison.”

  
“Like this?”

  
“Yes, Max. Like this.”

  
Max wrapped her arms around my arm. The total contact felt awesome, and I couldn’t help but lean into her touch.

  
“Tell me more about you.” Max said. And I was happy to.


	8. Chapter 7: Dust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I left a super important note regarding this story and my writing at the beginning of the chapter. Make sure you read it before getting started. Thanks!

Hey everyone, this is a very important message for all readers to see.

As of today, I'm going on a writing hiatus. I know that chapters have already taken long enough to get out on this story, and I truly apologize, but that's partially because my mental health has been at an all-time low recently. I just haven't had the motivation, or the emotional strength to write lately, so I need to take time to recharge. However, I'll make sure this hiatus is a productive one. I'll set up a sure schedule for ABISS chapters to release, so the release unpredictability is gone! I'm not sure how long I'll be away. (but I do know I'll be back before winter.) I really hope you understand, and enjoy this last chapter for a little while.

 

Sincerely, Fuffywumple

 

 

ABISS Chapter 7: Dust

 

\---------------------

 

I woke up with a warm feeling in my stomach that particular morning. Memories of having Rachel in my room, against me, talking to me about life outside of this cage. It was... magical. But the sun was up, and she was gone. Time to be all by myself in this misery of a place.

I dug under my mattress, picking around at the colony of 'souvenirs' I've collected from around the Institute. I had old favorites like my broken and dirty plastic fork, Chloe's cigarette, a chipped off piece of a soap bar, a pebble, and other goodies.

The newest addition to the collection: a small pocket fluff from Rachel’s pants. Small enough for just a pinch of my fingers. I did the only thing I thought to do with a small piece like this. I sniffed it. And it smelled like Rachel… Or, at least, my hand did. Some fluff got up my nose, and it tickled.

I sneezed. It felt like my brain boggled around in my head. I had to settle myself down. I’ve sneezed around this place before, the dust is terrible. But it’s been a long while.

I remembered a time a long while ago. I was probably twelve, and not quite adjusted to the dust yet. I sneezed every minute and every hour, there was not a single time I wasn’t having a reaction to the dust.

One of the guards outside my room had spoken angrily, “Jesus Christ, does that kid ever _stop_?”

“I swear, she must have blown all her brains out already.” The other one had responded.

“Well, _obviously_ not. ‘Cause she’s still going!” The first one said, “I’m sick of this. Gettin’ the Boss.”

I felt bad. I even cried because of the pain of the sneezing, and because everyone was mad at me for the noise. I was in constant pain, my head hurt so bad.

Then the Boss, who wore different clothes than the rest, came in the room a few minutes later. I couldn’t remember if he was alone, or with the other two guards, but that didn’t matter.

He crouched down beside my mattress, the nametag on his dress shirt read ‘Jefferson.’ He spoke more soft than the others. “A little sneezy there, aren’t you?”

I had nodded, then sneezed again.

There was a gentle laugh that came from his throat. “Here, let me help you with that.” He then had a bottle, it was loud and rattled like a baby’s toy. He then took out a pill and placed it in his palm for me. “I keep these for when I have the sneezies. You can have one.

“Sir, are you sure-” The first guard started.

“ _Yes_.” Jefferson said to the man, then he turned back to me. “Go ahead now. You can just chew it.”

The memory tapered off after that moment. I think I thought about it so much, because it was the last time I felt like a human around here. After that, things got… colder. I still wanted to find out why.

I sighed the memory out, then set Rachel’s pocket fluff aside. A noise came from the bottom of my door, and then my breakfast slid in. Water and bread, a meal that never changed. I decided that I was better than these assholes, and I didn’t want their stupid meals. Then my stomach rumbled, and decided otherwise for me. I found myself snatching the tray from the hard floor, and munching into the bread whole. Normally I take time to tear a piece off and eat it, but my hunger was too wild, and I ate without hesitation. I found that happening a lot as I grew up here. When I first started, I could go a while between meals. But, as I got older; I would be banging on the door, desperate for food only an hour after lunch.

I finish ripping into the bread, and wash it down with water, carefully savoring the wonderful, delicious water. By the time I finished my meal, I was exhausted. I usually like to nap after every meal; if possible. But by the time I managed to fall asleep, the warm feeling in my belly is gone.

______

Voices. The only thing I heard when I woke was voices.

"Amber, it's pretty suspicious when you stand in front of the door like that. It makes me think you're hiding something." The smooth voice of the Boss said. Was he talking to Rachel out there?

"I'm at my post. I just want to know why you're visiting this one." Rachel defended, her voice right outside the door. I sat up in excitement, only to be punished by my protesting stomach.

“It’s time to put in her implants. Now open the door, or I’ll be forced to take care of you in the more… _traditional_ way.” The Boss threatened, waiting patiently as Rachel opened the door to him.

Upon seeing the reflection on the Boss’ glasses, I scurried to the back of  my mattress, pressing myself against the wall. The Boss gave a small chuckle, and Rachel stood behind him, concerned.

“You’re okay, Chronus.” The Boss said, using his familiar nickname for me and my powers. I think it was meant to comfort me, but it only made me feel worse. The Boss held out his hand, palm up towards me; like I was some sort of animal. I sniffed his hand, and decided despite its emptiness, he was still to be untrusted.

“What’s, the, um…” Rachel was flustered. “What’s the purpose of this, Boss?”

The boss opened his other hand. In it was a tiny clear squishy thing. It looked like goo. I made a face without thinking, and the Boss laughed a lighthearted laugh that I was sure was just a ruse. “Just going to use our new monitor on this promising subject.”

The gooey fun object was suddenly less fun. I scooched away from the Boss, and hid back in my corner. He sighed. “Listen, it won’t hurt, you won’t feel it.” He said, trying to comfort me. “It’ll be better than the big clunky thing in your arm.” The Boss tapped the place on his arm where my monitor would be, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Oh,  _ bull _ .” Rachel huffed in the corner, before she realized her mistake and snapped her mouth shut.

The Boss turned to Rachel, the goo still on his finger. “I really don’t. Hurting my subjects is the  _ least  _ of my priorities.” He said, “I am a scientist, after all.”

“Really?” Rachel grumbled to herself, “I thought you were just an asshole in a lab coat.”

The Boss pretended not to hear that. “Unfortunately, fear is the only thing I could find that keeps my subjects in line.” He said, all while turning me away from him, and preparing to put the monitor on me. “If I could find any other  _ motivation _ , I would use it. But as of now, this is my best option.”

Rachel frowned.

“Now, don’t move.” Boss instructed, moving my hair away from the back of my neck. “I need to press this to the back of your neck for a few moments for it to fully sink in.”

I nodded, fearfully, and let him press his finger to my neck. The goo was cold for a few moments, but then I felt it start to dry. Everyone was quiet.

“So, why did you do this _here_?” Rachel asked, “why not take her to a testing room with better security? And  _ lighting _ .”

  
“Oh, that takes too much time to set up.” The Boss replied, “plus, you and I both know the pain of the movement authority papers and such, right?” He used his free hand to wave Rachel off. Something in me felt… suspicious about that. Something in Rachel, too.

The Boss stood, wiping his finger on a cloth provided by one of the guards. “We will take your old monitor out after we’ve done some tests with this one, okay?”

I nodded and rubbed the back of my neck uncomfortably.

“Great.” The boss said, and made his way out the cell.

“And Mrs. Amber? Play nice.”


	9. Important Update.

I really hate to do this, but as of now, I have to suspend further updates for ABISS. I’m currently working on 2 different novels, and the pressure of working on both of them has made things really hard. Not to mention that it’s the reason why ABISS chapters have been so scattered. This will only be until I finish my other project (because it’s closer to being finished than this is.) 

 

I feel really bad to pause this now, because I know there are people who like it, but right now I just can’t continue it with everything I have going on now. I will let everyone know when my other work is done, and when work on ABISS starts up. This suspension is only temporary, not permanent.

Sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for your patience.


	10. Chapter 8: Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, ABISS is back!! I’m so sorry it took so long, but now that I have less crap going on, I can focus on this story, and give regular updates! For today we have a calmer chapter with some Max backstory to welcome everyone back into ABISS’s world! Thanks for your patience. Let’s get rolling!!

ABISS chapter 8: Nightmare

 

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It was 3 hours after Lights Out, and I still couldn’t sleep. The constant feeling of Time and it’s passage flowed over my skin despite the cuffs around my wrists. No binding cuffs could interrupt my coexistence with time. My heart always beat to its rhythm, the rising and falling of my chest was dictated by its very existence. I always had a very special connection with time. One that could never falter. One that could never break. I always knew what time it was.

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It was 11:30pm, Max knew that without looking at her clock. 11:30 was way too late for Max to be awake, but her lights were off, no one would catch her. Instead, Max later huddled in her bed, eyes staring at the roof. All day during school, she felt sick, but not a vomit inducing sickness, her skin was tight, eyes heavy. She kept complaining to the teacher, whining about how she wanted to go home, but the teacher wouldn’t listen.

4th grade was proving to be a huge challenge for Maxine, more than 3rd grade, and she really hated it. Maybe if she made herself puke, her parents would let her stay home tomorrow. It was better than doing the spelling test she knew she wasn’t ready for. Stress kept Max from sleeping, that was one of the first changes of her life. Ten year old girls like Max weren’t supposed to be under this much stress, they weren’t supposed to constantly feel like their skin was constricting over their bones. Of course, little Maxine never knew that. She thought it was a sign of growing up. Soon, she would find out that it  _ was  _ a sign of growing up, just not the one she wanted.

A flu like heat washed over Max’s skin, and she thought she actually was getting sick. Maybe she could miss school for a few days, stay away from all the kids that stared at her funny just because she didn’t like to talk. The teacher wrote a comment on Maxine’s latest report card, saying that the girl wasn’t “like the other girls” and should “try to do better about talking more in class.” Maxine always knew she was different, but she never figured out why until that very week.

Another tightening of little Max’s skin made her moan, sweat starting to build up on her forehead. She had no doubt she was sick, and all she wanted to do was cry it off, but something inside her just wouldn’t let her do it. Something inside of her was trying to embrace the ugly feeling that was taking up her body piece by piece. It made her want to cry even more.

Maxine wanted to get up, and tell her mom and dad that she was sick. Whenever Max was sick, her father always knew what to do, giving her medicine and reading her stories. It was like magic. But every time Max tried to move, a new wave of nausea washed over her, drenching her body in even more heat. If Max couldn’t go to her parents, she would call out to them, and bring them right to her.

When Max opened her lips, nothing but a weak noise of pain came from them. For a little while, small Maxine thought she was in some sort of dream, the sickness in her head made everything feel light and surreal. She thought if she just closed her eyes, she would wake up from this nightmare and be just fine, but that didn’t work. The room Maxine was in felt like a sauna, and bugs crawled just underneath her skin, making her shiver despite the heat.

Everything was so overwhelming to the newly 10 year old, she wanted to cry, she wanted to puke, she wanted to faint. She wanted her parents to hold her and tell her that everything was all right. A single tear slipped from her eyes after so long of willing it to happen, but she still couldn’t find her voice. 

The tears were all she had, sliding down her cheeks, silent cries of pain. There was no way this couldn’t be a nightmare, Maxine barely felt conscious. Her body was light, clashing between extreme hot and extreme cold. She didn’t even feel real, only her tears did. 

It was as if little Max was paralyzed, unable to do anything but soak up her misery in this endless nightmare. It was the beginning to a nightmare that was still happening 8 years later.

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Slimey blile landed in the metal toilet beneath me, forced out along with a nasty retch. That was the last of the vomit my body could produce in that go, so I leaned against the wall beside my toilet, waiting for the dizziness to fade.

I didn’t get ill like this very often, but the blockage of my powers really made me feel weak. The scientists were most likely aware of this effect on us, why wouldn’t they be? Yet, there’s nothing they do about it. If they want to keep our powers locked down tight, which they did, there was no other choice but to block them 24/7, but the toll it has on us couldn’t go ignored. I’ve overheard talking between employees to come up with some sort of alternative solution, one less harmful to the subjects, but I was still shackled up tight unless they needed me, so they hadn’t reached any sort of conclusion yet.

Wiping the rest of the bile on my lips with my sleeve, I flushed down the vomit so wouldn’t have to smell it again. Of course, the gross taste was still lingering in my mouth, but I would have to wait until breakfast to wash the taste down. Breakfast, not for another five hours yet. I refused to move from my spot by the metal toilet, letting the nausea wash away before I went back onto the rock solid mattress. The chain of my cuffs rests on my knee, each wrist dangling from the sides of my leg.

Sleep wouldn’t come to me, but yet, I was so tired it was tough to think straight. Thoughts of Rachel came into my unguarded mind, the way she was so warm and caring, how her blonde hair always flowed down her back. My exhausted body warmed up when I thought of her, probably because she was the only person I felt really cared about me around here. Also because I was exhausted, and my weakened body had no defenses against feelings. All I wanted to do was see her again. All I wanted to do was see her  _ period _ . Rachel was the one person in my life that made everything worth living, she made all of this seem worth it. I huffed and pushed myself to my feet very slow, making sure I didn’t make myself sick again.    


The light in the hall outside my room was burnt out, and the moon wasn’t very bright, so my room was plunged in darkness. With caution, I poked made my way to the door, and looked at the skylight in the hall outside through my dusty window. Because the immediate hall around my room was dark, I could somewhat see the sky. It was pitch black, and there were maybe one or two visible stars from where I was, but it was the sky, the actual sky. The sky I’ve never been able to truly see in eight years.

I remembered back to when I last saw the sky, all those years ago. It was the middle of the night, just like now, but back then I had the freedom over my life, and the freedom to get myself busted. How could I have been so stupid? Maybe it was because I was just a ten year old girl with freakish time powers, but as soon as I got these powers, I wasn’t a kid anymore. I had grown up too early.

Instead of going back to bed, I rested my forehead against the glass in front of me, willing myself not to cry. Despite the eight year difference, I remember all the brutal details that led to me being right here. How I wasn’t able to control myself, how I kept making time itself freeze and unfreeze without anchoring myself. I remembered how I hurt people. It wasn’t on purpose I never had the intent to harm anyone, but if I somehow managed to get on the other side of this door on my own, I don’t know if I would have the same intentions.

That scared me from time to time, my urge to hurt and destroy, my urge to get back at these fuckers for what they’re doing to me. The only one around here that was able to curb those feelings, was Rachel. It was a good thing, too. I probably had the strength of a twig, I would lose any fight I tried to pick.

All the adrenaline from puking was fading fast, and the weight of drowsiness weighed down my bones like lead. I really didn’t want to sleep, because I always had nightmares, but there was always a certain point when sleep was mercy. Anything to escape the crushing darkness of my waking conscience, not to mention all the thoughts about Rachel.

Every time I thought about her, I just wanted to be there with her again, I wanted to feel her pressed up against me. The overwhelming urge was painful, a torture of its own.

My rock hard mattress brought me no comfort, as it never did, and I dreaded going back on to it, but my legs were starting to buckle beneath me. When I sat down, I couldn’t help but rub at the back of my neck, remembering that sort of gel monitor those assholes put on me. It didn’t hurt, and wasn’t really itchy, but the constant reminder of it being there was enough for me to always pick at it.

The pads of my fingers ran over a very tiny lump on the skin. I tried to pinch it, and rip it off, but it wasn’t any use, the damn thing didn’t budge. Frustration coiled in my muscles, as it usually did every day. It was the most useless and upsetting feeling that I could ever feel here. Everything was useless, my entire existence was just sitting around all day staring at walls and hoping I was picked to do some sort of stupid experiment on. What was the point of all of it? I wished I know, I wished I could ask Rachel if she knew, which she probably did, but yet, if she had the same motives as all the scientists out there, why would she be nice to me when they won’t?

I didn’t want to think about that in the moment, it would just follow into my nightmares.


	11. Update: I’m sorry!!

Oh my Dog I’m so sorry i haven’t posted in over a month!! I’ve been having such a hard time with writing lately, my motivation has been at an all time low, and I thought I was ready to enter the writing scene again, but I rushed it, and I’m sorry. To be honest, I’ve been having so many problems with this story, I’m not confident with this story, but I know you all like it, so I need to work on it more. Exam break ends next week, so I’m going to try to get back into schedule and finish up this story!

 

I’m so sorry for all the inconveniences, and I hope y’all understand. I’m looking forward to getting back to this story ASAP.


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